“You still haven’t told me what that job is.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Yeah, well ... if you have a problem with me not answering questions you can take it up with Mr. St. Clair. He signs my paycheck. I believe he ranks above Mrs. St. Clair.”
“That’s a sexist thing to say,” Charlie groused, making a face. “They’re married. That means they’re partners, equals.”
Slade’s eye roll was so pronounced I was surprised he didn’t fall over. “Oh, geez. You’re one of those.”
Charlie’s expression was blank. “One of those what?”
“One of those feminists,” Slade replied. “I have news for you, honey, that’s not the way the real world works. Not everything you see on television is real. This is the real world.” He gestured toward the expansive lawn, a scene that was right out of a movie if I ever saw one. “In the real world, cuties like you are meant to be seen and not heard. Although ... I could think of a few other things I might be able to find for you to do.”
He was trying to bait Jack ... and it worked. Jack shot out a hand and planted it in the middle of Slade’s chest.
“Don’t even think about touching her,” Jack warned, venom dripping from his tongue. He looked as if he was spoiling for a fight — heck, he’d looked that way for days — and Slade was the sort who was only too happy to oblige.
“You’re going to want to remove your hand from my chest, partner,” Slade warned. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”
“Try me.”
Jack was usually calm unless he absolutely had to fly off the handle. Right now, there wasn’t even a single iota of that calmness I’d grown to love on display. “Sure. Do you want to do it right here?”
“Nothing is happening right here,” I argued, wedging myself between the two bristling men. I pushed Jack with everything I had to get him to take a step back and then focused on Slade. “I’m not sure how you got this job, but I wouldn’t count on having it much longer. It seems Mrs. St. Clair wasn’t aware of your criminal background. She is now.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Slade held Jack’s gaze for a moment longer and then focused on me. “I’m not afraid of you. Mr. St. Clair is in charge. He hired me. If you have a problem with that, take it up with him.”
“You can count on that,” Jack promised.
MERCEDES WAS RETICENT ABOUT pointing us in the direction of Arthur.
“I don’t know,” she hedged as she chopped vegetables. Her hands moved so fast they were almost a blur. “It’s one thing to set you loose on the grounds to torture the employees — they’re used to it thanks to our employers — but to send you after the big boss ... .”
“We need to talk to him about Aaron Slade,” I pressed. “He’s a real threat to the women who work here.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that since I heard what you told Mrs. St. Clair. I’ve never seen him make a move on anyone, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t occasionally act like a creeper. I definitely don’t like that he’s here. But I don’t see where I have the authority to help you get rid of him. He was hired by Mr. St. Clair.”
“That’s why we want to talk to him.”
Mercedes was clearly dubious. “See, I think you want to talk to him about something else. I’m not sure that’s going to go over well.”
Something occurred to me. “Okay, that’s fair. You don’t want to rat on the big boss. Can you tell us where we might find Bailey Rankin?”
Thanks to the small smile playing at the corners of Mercedes’s lips I knew I’d asked the right question. “That I can help you with. Bailey is an employee. She’s not the boss. At this time of day — every day, mind you — she’s in the guesthouse giving it a good spruce. I would wager money you’ll find her there right now.”
“Thank you. We appreciate your help.”
“No problem. Make sure Bailey knows I directed you to her, huh? It will just be easier that way.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve got everything under control.” I looked to Jack, who appeared confused. “This time I’ll be the one asking all the questions.”
“Great,” he deadpanned. “I don’t even know what just happened.”
“You’ll find out in a few minutes.”
THE GUESTHOUSE WAS AT the northeast corner of the property. It was small in comparison to the main house, but it would loom over typical suburban ranch homes.
“You could fit an entire family in here,” Charlie noted as she stared in awe at the building. “Why would you need a guesthouse when you have a huge mansion to live in?”
“Rich people are weird,” I explained as I strolled up the walkway that led to the front door. “Why do you think I ran from this world?”
“I thought it was because you didn’t like your husband.”
“Myron isn’t actually a bad man.” I meant that. “We simply weren’t compatible. I want to be me. Myron wanted me to be something I wasn’t. That can never work. It’s important that your partner is okay with you being yourself.” I let my eyes drift to Jack. “You’re not going to have a problem with that.”
“She’s not,” Jack agreed. “Just out of curiosity, what do you expect to find here?”
“Just wait. I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.” I slammed my fist against the door as hard as I could, pasting a condescending smile on my face for when it opened. Sure enough, it wasn’t Bailey who opened the door. It was Arthur.
“Oh,” Jack intoned when he saw the man’s furious face. “I get it now.”
“See, you’re not as slow as you pretend.” I offered Arthur a wave that I was sure would grate. “Hello again, Sunshine. What are you doing here? We expected to find Bailey Rankin.” I opted to play the game in an effort to keep Mercedes safe. She didn’t deserve any blowback.
“I don’t know who that is,” Arthur replied. “In fact ... .”
“Did someone just say my name?” a female voice asked from behind Arthur. Sure enough, a pretty brunette with breasts spilling out of the top of a disheveled maid’s uniform appeared. “Is it Mercedes? I’m not helping her. Tell her I don’t have to go back to the house, Big Daddy.” The last bit was delivered with a pouty bottom lip and lowered eyes.
“Oh, gross.” I felt sick to my stomach. “You really are a piece of work, Arthur. How disgusting can you be?”
“I think that’s a question you should be asking his wife,” Bailey shot back petulantly. She was abrasive, as if spoiling for a fight. “Who are you people? I saw you around the house yesterday.”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” I answered, pinning Arthur with a pointed look. “I think you should send her back to the house, Arthur. We need to have a discussion.”
“He’s not sending me anywhere,” Bailey shot back.
“Go to the house, Bailey,” Arthur countered. He didn’t look embarrassed in the least to have been caught in the middle of an afternoon tryst. but he obviously didn’t want an audience for what was about to go down. “Tell Mercedes I want something sweet for dessert tonight.”
“But ... I don’t want to leave.” Bailey acted like a teenager trying to manipulate a spoiling father.
“Well, you can’t always get what you want, can you?” Arthur countered. “You need to leave.”
“But ... .”
“Now!” Arthur commanded as he glared at the young woman. “Do as you’re told, Bailey. You’re still an employee, and things can change quickly if you’re not careful.”
The look on Bailey’s face was murderous. “Are you threatening me?”
“Merely explaining your options. Now ... go.”
Bailey stomped out of the guesthouse. Arthur didn’t appear bothered by her theatrics. Instead, he wandered into the front parlor and headed straight for the drink cart.
“Can I wet your whistle, Millie?”
“Thanks. It’s a bit early for me.”
“It’s five o’clock some
where.”
“Not here.” I inclined my head toward the couch for Jack and Charlie to sit. “We need to talk about Aaron Slade.”
Arthur arched an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Slade? I thought you were here to give me grief about Bailey.”
“I’m not your mother. You know what you’re doing is wrong. I can’t make you a better person, Arthur. I should point out, though, that she’s been fired from several agencies because she has a tendency to sleep with the boss.”
His smile was smug. “And what’s wrong with that?”
“She’s trying to get pregnant so she can trap a rich man. She’s looking for a payday.”
His smile slipped. “How can you possibly know that? I ran a full background check on her before ... well, before any of this.”
“I think I have better contacts than you,” Jack volunteered. “I noticed right away when conducting background checks that she had an interesting employment history. When I called one of the agencies listed for her — I know the woman who heads the personnel department at that agency — she had no problem telling me about Bailey’s history. It became a real issue, to the point they fired her.”
“I see.” Arthur’s eyes reflected trouble. “I guess I should’ve vetted her more carefully. This could turn into a problem.”
“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her unprotected,” I begged.
“No, I didn’t. That doesn’t mean she’s not smart enough to get around that if she’s so inclined. Well ... I guess that’s that. I can’t risk playing with her again. I’ll have to replace her.”
“Yes, and you truly seem broken-hearted about it,” I drawled. “Are you going to cry into your bourbon tonight? Or, wait, perhaps you’ll fall into a new maid and cry on her shoulder.”
“Oh, don’t give me your high-and-mighty act, Millie,” he shot back, annoyance on full display. “You shouldn’t be so judgmental. It’s not becoming.”
“Neither is schtupping the maid under your wife’s nose.”
“Do you think she doesn’t know?”
“No. I think she knows.” That was the worst part of all of it. “That’s why I think she’s drinking herself into oblivion and crawling into a hole of despair.”
“You act as though you care.”
“Maybe I do.”
“Why would you? Adele has been nothing but cold to you since we met. She never thought you were worthy to be included in our group.”
“I’m well aware.” And I was. I always knew how she felt about me. “I’m kind of angry you’ve put me in a position to feel sorry for her, Arthur. I mean ... how bad does that make you?”
“I’m simply a man trying to find some joy in life.” He swirled his bourbon. “What are you really doing here? You can’t possibly believe that ghost story Adele is floating about. It’s absolute nonsense.”
“I don’t know that it’s nonsense,” I said, making sure to keep my gaze from Charlie because I didn’t trust Arthur. There’s no way he could know the truth, but I didn’t want to risk it. “It doesn’t matter. Adele is convinced something odd is going on and I believe her. I don’t think it’s ghosts, though.”
“What do you think it is?”
“I think someone is gaslighting her.”
“And I assume you believe that someone is me. Why would I possibly want to do that? Adele and I have settled into a life in which she does her thing and I do mine. It’s much the same as the life you shared with Myron before you ended your marriage. Did you want to hurt Myron at any point? No. I don’t want to hurt Adele either.”
“That doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Maybe your little girlfriend thought it might be fun to force Adele out of the house. Convincing you to marry her would’ve been better than simply having a baby with you.”
“I ... .” At first, Arthur looked as if he was going to argue. He tacked quickly, though. “Tell me everything you know about Bailey and we’ll go from there. I’m not saying I believe you, but I might not be as reticent to the idea as I was originally.
“I can promise nothing,” he continued. “Still ... tell me what you have. I’m curious, which is enough to get me to listen to you. That’s more than I would’ve thought possible ten minutes ago, so have at it.”
9
Nine
I did as he asked, leaving nothing out. By the time I’d finished he seemed intrigued.
“I didn’t realize everything that had been going on around the house,” he admitted. “I certainly didn’t know about Danielle being tripped in the stairwell ... and then fired. I’ll see if I can track her down and make sure she lands on her feet. I always liked her. She was an attentive little thing.”
I made a face. “Oh, don’t tell me you were with her, too.”
He chuckled. “She’s not my type. She did listen when I talked about books. She was always in charge of cleaning the library. She liked debating plots with me. It was our … thing.”
“Are you sure you didn’t play lord of the manor games with her?”
Arthur nodded. “I wouldn’t have even tried. I prefer my women, shall we say, paler?”
Jack looked taken aback. “What?”
“White,” I volunteered. “He’s saying he wasn’t interested in Danielle because she’s Hispanic.”
“Oh, let’s not make this a racist thing,” Arthur argued. “For the record, I’ve spent time with Hispanic women. But that was years ago. The older I get, the more set in my ways I become. I can’t help it.”
“Yes, you’re a real ... joy,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I honestly can’t believe you haven’t been elected president you’re such a paragon of virtue.”
“Let’s not devolve into insults,” he chided. “Our lives diverged, Millie. I’m talking Adele and me here. I’m not who I was probably meant to be, but it’s not as if I can go back and change things. I am who I am ... for better or worse.”
It was a simple fact ... and it bothered me. Still, that wasn’t why we were here. “I think it’s entirely possible that someone is trying to gaslight Adele, make her believe things that would cause her social standing to falter. You can’t deny that your little friend would get off on that. I’ve only met her once and I can tell she’s a game player.”
“No, I can’t deny that she would enjoy messing with Adele. That’s the way she is. It’s just ... I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t sniff out her ulterior motives before you told me the truth. I feel ... duped.”
“Yes, you’re the victim here,” I drawled. “Let’s make this all about you.”
He glared. “I was simply saying ... you know what? It doesn’t matter.” He held up a hand in capitulation. “What is it you want me to tell you?”
“I want to know if you think it’s possible that Bailey has been working against Adele.”
“I think it’s possible. You don’t have to worry about it continuing, though. I’ll make sure she’s fired by the end of the day.”
“Do you think she’ll go gracefully?”
“Not in the least. It won’t matter. I have security on the premises. They’re used to escorting disgruntled help from the property. I’ll call them up from the gate.”
He was matter-of-fact ... and I was sick to my stomach. “You’re all heart, Arthur.”
“I do my best.” He took another sip of bourbon and eyed me speculatively. “Is that all?”
“Not even close,” Jack replied for me. “We want to know about Aaron Slade. Why did you hire him given his record?”
“What record?” Arthur furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re talking about the fact that you hired a rapist as a handyman,” I replied without hesitation. “How could your crack security team miss that when running his background?”
Arthur worked his jaw. “I’m not sure ... um ... are you certain?” The question was directed toward Jack.
“I’m absolutely certain,” the
security guru replied. “It wasn’t exactly hard to dig out. How did your security team miss it?”
“Because they weren’t involved in Slade’s.” Arthur swirled his bourbon, grim. Before continuing, he finished off the glass and headed back to the bar. “Slade was hired because of his ties to Bailey.”
Oh, well, now we were finally getting somewhere. “And what are his ties to Bailey?”
“They’re cousins.”
Jack knit his eyebrows. “I don’t think so. That would’ve popped on the searches I ran. I made sure to include any familial ties in the search parameters.”
“And how sure are you about that?”
“Very sure. I don’t miss things.”
“He doesn’t,” I agreed. “If Jack says they’re not related, you can believe him.”
“Then that means I’ve been doubly duped.” Arthur heaved out a sigh as he returned to his chair. He looked pained, and I had no doubt it was because he was made to look a fool rather than a potential broken heart. Bailey had been nothing more than a plaything for him. She was never a potential partner. “Well, this is ... humbling.”
I doubted he even understood the meaning of the word. “Tell us,” I ordered. “How did Slade end up here?”
“It was Bailey from the start. She moved on me within three days of getting the job here. I knew what she was doing, but I didn’t care. She’s beautiful and it’s not as if I’m against being used for the right purposes.
“We struck up a relationship relatively quickly. It was easy and required zero effort on my part. She was open to anything and eager to please.”
“I really want to punch you,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I don’t understand how you can’t see how wrong this all is.”
“You’re mistaken. I see that it’s wrong. I simply don’t care.”
“You should get some pride.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps. That’s a discussion for another time, though.”
I agreed. “Finish the story.”
Millie on a Mission Page 8
